Evaporator coil



June 2, 1931. R. s. wHEATovN EVAPORATOR COIL Filed May 26. 1930 NVENTOR.

Ming/1- ATTORNEY` Patented June 2, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEROBERT S. WHEATON, OF MILWAUKEE, VITSC'ONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO THE VILTERMANU- FACTURING COMPANY, OF MILW'AUKEE, WISCONSIN, .A CORPORATION OFWIS- CON SIN EVAPORLATOR COILy Application filed May`26, 1930. SerialNo. 455,730.

sity for the conventional accumulator or suction trap is eliminated.

A further object of the invention is to provide evaporator coils inwhich the coil units may be easily coupled together in any desiredlengths.

A further object of the invention is to provide evaporator coilsarranged so that the refrigerant therein is given a percolat` ingeffect.

kA further object of the invention is to provide a flooded evaporatorcoil'in which the gas reaching each successively higher horizontal unitof the coil is Aaccelerated so that in the uppermost unit the gastravels with great rapidity to reach the gas outlet pipe and its passageinto the gas outlet pipeA causes its separation from anyliquid'refrigerant carried with it and such liquid refrigerant againpassesthrough the coil units. Y

A further object of the invention is to provide evaporator coils whichare of very simple construction, are eificient in opera-V tion, arestrong and durable, are relatively inexpensive 'to manufacture andinstall, and

are well adapted for the purposes described. Y

Withthe above and other objects in view the invention consists of theimproved evaporator coils, and their parts and combinations as set forthin the claims, and all equivalent-s thereof.

-In the accompanying drawing, the view is a verticalsectional view of animproved evaporator coil. f

Referring now more particularly to the drawing it will appear that thenumerals 3 indicate intermediate evaporator tubes which may be of anysuitable length, and the numerals 4 and 5 indicate tube end sections,said tube end sections being somewhat shorter than the intermediatetubes. The ends of each intermediate tube 3 are formed with flanges 6and 7 and the inner ends of the tube end sections 4 and 5 are formed vwith similar flanges 8 and 9. Each inter-y mediate tube 3 is connectedat one end portionvwith a tube section 4 and at the other end portionwith a tubesection 5, said connections being'eifected by abutments oftherespective flanges 6, 8, 7 and 9, with bolts 10 and 11 extendedtherethrough to'clamp thel pairs of flanges together, thereby couplingthe intermediate pipe with a pair of end sections, Vin longitudinalalinement. The outer ends of all of the tube end sections are closed.

An intermediate tube 3 with a pair .of

unit and in the'proper disposition in a coil, a plurality of units arepositioned one above another as shown. The tube end sections 5arefconnected together in staggered relation by short sections of tubes12, preferably of slightly less diameter than the diameterv of the tubes3 and sections 4 and 5. Each l'65 tube end sections-connected theretoforms a tube 12 extends from the under lside of the" tube section 5above throughothe upper side of the tube Section5 below, terminatingjust short of the inner surface of the under side "of said tube sect-ionbelow.

of the tube section 4 below to' and into the tube section above to yapoint adjacent the upper inner side portion of said tube section above.y

A refrigerant pipe 14 extends into the outer end of'a tube-endsection'5,.prefera bly the second of said tubes from the top, and a ygasoutlet pipe 15, of greater diameter than the kinlet pipe 14, extendsoutwardly of the uppermost evaporator tube 3 intermediate its ends.Extending voutwardly from the outer end of the lowermost tube endsection 5 is an oil dra-in'pipe 16.y

In the operation of the improved evaporator coil liquid refrigerantenters the second from the top tube 5 through the inlet pipe 14 and ows-in said tube to the right maintain the condition mentioned. Ay cir-`culation will beset up in the liquid refrigerant in each adjacent pairof units and said refrigerant will flow downwardly through the tubes 12and rise through the tubes 13. As the liquid refrigerant Ygasiiies, thegas bubbles through the liquid to the upper portion of each unit andflows thcrealong until it reaches the vertical tube 13 and the gas willthen rise upwardly therein, joining the rising gas Vfrom the units belowand accelerating the travel of the gas and so on until it eventuallyreaches the uppermost unit where it will rush swiftly to the left insaid unitY to the gas outlet pipe 15 and will then be discharged fromthe coil through the gas outlet pipe .15. Any liquid refrigerant whichmay be present and carried up with the gas to the upper tubes will, dueto the acceleration pass by the gas outlet pipe and be thereby separatedfrom the gas and flow downwardly to the units below and form part of therefrigerant liquid therein and continue its work. Any oil which maycollect in any of the horizontal units will eventually iiow downwardlyto the lowermost unit and will eventually kdrain out of the oildrainpipe A particular feature of the invention residesin the fact thateach horizontal `evaporator unit, while filled or partly filled withliquid refrigerant, is so connected to the other horizontal units, by,vthe staggered tubes l2 and 13, as to eliminate the need of anaccumulator or suction trap ordinarily required in horizontal tubecoils. The percolating travel or effect of the refrigerant in the unitsis also of advantage in adding tothe eihciency of the coil Furthermore,the apparatus Iis of simple and novel construction, and is well adaptedfor the purposes described. fr

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A refrigerating coil, comprising a plurality of spaced, superimposedtubes having closed ends, short tubular connections between one s et ofend portions of said superimposed tubes, each of said tubularconnections extending froin the bottom portion of a tube above throughand terminating slightly above the lower inner portion of a tube belowand adjacent tubular connections being offset one from another, shorttubular connections between the other set of end portions of saidsuperimposed tubes, each of said last mentioned tubular connectionsextending from an upper portion of a tube below through and terminatingslightly below the upper inner portion of a tube above and each of saidlast mentioned tubular vconnections being offset from an adjacenttubular connection, a fluid inlet pipe entering one ofsaid tubes, and afluid outlet pipe extending from-one of said tubes.

2. A refrigerating coil, comprising a plurality of spaced, superimposedsectional tubes having closed ends, each tubeconsist ing of an elongatedintermediate'section and shorter end sections detachably connected tooppositeends thereof, short tubular connections between one setof endsections, each of said tubular connections extending from the bottomportion of an end section above through and terminating slightly abovethe lower inner portionof an end section below` and adjacent tubularconnections being offset one from another,short tubular connectionsbetween the other set ofl end sections, eachV of said last mentionedtubular connections extending from an upper portion of an end sectionbelow through 'and terminating slightly below the upper innerl portionof an end section above and each of said last mentioned tubularconnections being offset from an adjacent tubular connection,afiuidinlet pipe entering one of said superimposed tubes, and a fluid outletpipe extending from one of said tubes. j

3. A refrigerating coil, comprising a plurality of spaced, superimposedtubes having closed ends, short tubular connections between one set ofendportions of said superimposed tubes, each of said tubular connectionsextending froin the bottom portion of a tube above through andterminating slightly above thelower inner portion of a tube below, saidtubular connections being, in staggered relation, short tubularconnections between the other kset of end portions of said superimposedtubes, each of said last mentionedl y tubular connections extending froman upper portion of a tube belowV through and terminating slightly belowthe upper inner portion of a tube above, said last mentioned tubularconnections being in staggered relation, a Vfluid inlet pipe enteringone of said tubes below the uppermost tube, and a fluid outlet pipeextending from the uppermost tube.

4. A refrigerating coil, comprising a plu- 1 rality of spaced,superimposed, sectional, approximately-horizontal tubes, each tube con-.sisting of an elongated intermediate section and relatively shorter endsections detachably connected to opposite ends thereof and forminglongitudinal continuations thereof, the outer ends of said end sectionsbeing closed, short tubular connections between one set of end sections,each of said tubular connections extending from the bottom portion of anend section above through and terminating slightly above thelower innerLili portion of an end section below, said tubular connections being instaggered relation, short tubular Connections between the other set ofend sections, each of said last mentioned tubular connections extendingfrom an upper portion of an end section below through and terminatingslightly below the upper inner portion oi' an end section above, saidlast mentioned tubular Connections being in staggered relation, a fluidinlet pipe entering an end section of a tube below the uppermost tube,and a fluid outlet pipe eX- tending from the intermediate section oftheV uppermost tube.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ROBERT S. WHEATON.

